Artemis set in the main living room flipping through a magazine as the others, minus Tony since he's been holed up in his lab since two weeks after the Battle of New York, were playing monopoly.
Artemis glanced them and shook her head, she opted out of Monopoly since she wanted to play Mario Kart but Salt banned that idea. Mainly because when Artemis or any of the assassins play, cuss words start flying and once even a knife.
"Hey Salt, Nata" she called and they looked at her "we should go shopping on Black Friday"
The two nodded "we can bring Mom, Grammy and Pepper" Salt stated
"So are we having Thanksgiving here" Clint asked
Artemis shrugged "you have to ask Grammy" she said going back to her magazine
Artemis set in her lab looking over her new suits design, not really paying attention to it.
She was thinking about Winter Soldier and how she's gonna find him, Artemis hasn't seen or heard from him since that night before the expo.
She looked up when Salt came down "Salt" she greeted glad she already hid the Winter Soldier information.
Salt nodded at her "Artemis" she replied going over to place a file on her desk "the file you asked me to get"
Artemis picked it up and opened it "Aldrich Killian" she read "head of Advanced Idea Mechanics or A.I.M" she read "new company"
Salt shrugged "first I heard of it" she said and Artemis nodded looking over the file.
Killian has been trying to get a meeting with Artemis for about two weeks for something and Artemis is leery of him, not just because he's Pepper ex-boss, she learned to trust her gut and use her vased resources to do background checks on people.
Artemis put the file down and went back to her suit design "you know you should make that have a camouflage feature only being spotted until it's too late" Salt said
Artemis looked at her with a raised eyebrow "what, Ant was talking about something like that with Grammy" Salt shrugged "you know how loud they get when they argue about weapons or weapon ideas"
Artemis smirked and began typing up a program for that "thanks Salt" she waved.
Salt chuckled at her best friend and left
Grammy walked around the grocery store with her grandson shopping for Thanksgiving. Ward smiled watching his Gramsy decide between turkeys "why don't you get both" he stated "you know we're gonna need it"
Grammy looked at him then nodded so he grabbed both of them and placed them in the cart
As they began walking Ward looked at her "so, who's all coming" he asked her
Grammy looked at him "the usual, plus the Avengers" she stated "but Nikko decided to not come this year, since she has the source of the cure, Jimmy, now she wants to gradually ease him into the chaos"
War nodded "is it at the mansion" he asked having not been able to attend Thanksgiving and Christmas the last couple years since he was always on assignments; but this year Grammy put her foot down and demanded Ward be put on leave until next year.
Grammy nodded at him "now any request for food" she asked and Ward eyes lit up "you think Artemis will make that chocolate lasagna" he asked
Grammy laughed at that, the Carbonell's chocolate lasagna has been her family's weakness since Maria made it for the Commandos during a leave one week. While Jasmine got her cotton candy addiction, Salt and Ward got their grandpa's chocolate lasagna addiction.
"I have a feeling if you ask her she will" Grammy answered and Ward pulled out his phone and called Artemis
"Honey, we're at the store what do you need to make your chocolate lasagna" he asked
"I get all that later, I have to make a list of how many are coming and do the math"
"Okay, thanks Honey" he said
"You're welcome Ace"
The day of Thanksgiving the Avenger's, the assistants, Rhodey, Matt, Ward, Jasmine, Grammy, and the Parkers set at the table and everyone was enjoying the quality time.
At the end of the table set Steve looking at his team and their family, Artemis and Tony were arguing about suit designs which they dragged Bruce into, Grammy was talking to the Parkers.
Natasha was discussing something with Matt, Clint was watching Peter like a Hawk, pun intended, Pepper and Rhodey was talking about something, most likely about something stupid Tony done recently.
What really got to Steve was Salt and Ward fighting over the chocolate lasagna. They remind Steve of their grandparents, Bucky and Lily were the same but you could tell their fighting was never serious, you could tell when it was serious because Bucky would be cowering because he went too far.
Clint smirked taking the last piece and placed it on his plate
The siblings stopped fighting and glared over at the archer "you did not" they said.
Everyone stopped talking and looked at them "oh I did" Clint smirked
"Addison, Grant don't even think about it" Grammy warned as Clint took a bite of the lasagna.
The siblings growled "there's another pan in the kitchen" Artemis told them, knowing Grammy would kill her if she didn't tell them before a fight began.
The siblings glared at each other and took off to the kitchen "ouch, damn it Ant" Salt said as he tripped her.
Salt grabbed his ankle and yanked, once he was down Salt hurried to stand up and ran to the kitchen again with Ward following.
Everyone laughed at them "you bitch" Ward yelled a little bit later "language" Jasmine yelled at her son.
The next day the girls, plus Steve, were up and ready to go shopping
Steve, Artemis and Natasha where wearing hats "okay, you guys no weapons" Grammy said looking towards Nat "but use your ninja skills"
Natasha and Artemis smirked "Pepper, you see something you want, just tap one of us on the arm" Artemis said knowing Pepper would be the one that would have some trouble.
Pepper nodded with a smirk, she learnt that going Black Friday shopping with this crazy family is fun.
"Yinsen, when the others get up tell them to start putting up lights" Artemis ordered
"Yes ma'am" the AI replied
About two hours later the other residents of the mansion began waking up "Agent Barton, Miss Stark order for everyone to start putting up the lights" Yinsen informed him after he got dressed.
"Where are the lights" Clint groaned
"The attic" Yinsen replied "if you'll like, I can lead you there"
"If you'll please" Clint yawned.
Clint met up with Tony, Bruce and Ward "where's Spangles" Tony whined as they brought the boxes down to the main room
"The captain went with the girls shopping" Jarvis informed them
"I don't know what's worse" Ward whined looking in the boxes "shopping with the girls or untangling these lights"
"Shopping" Tony and Clint responded shuddering
Artemis by herself is okay but add Nat or Salt and Clint is gone, he's also trying to get Fury to let idiot newbies go with them.
The three began untangling the lights and Peter wobbled in and got tangles in lights.
"Bruce take his picture and send it to Art" Clint said looping a string of lights around his arm and started up the ladder to hang the lights on the entrance way.
Tony threw him up some mistletoe and Clint placed it in the center
When the group came back after stashing the gifts at Grammy's, they looked amazed at the inside of the mansion "nice" Pepper nodded to the lodging men.
They gave her a thumbs up and went back to watching TV "why don't you guys show Steve how to play Mario Kart" Grammy asked.
Artemis, Tony, Clint's, Ward's and Salt's face lit up at that and Salt dragged Steve over to the Wii console "you're gonna love it" Artemis said
"No weapons" Grammy said going into the kitchen with Bruce as Pepper and Jasmine monitored the group.
Bruce was holding Peter "we should make them some drinks, there's gonna be yelling soon" Grammy asked and Bruce nodded at that
They finished the drinks just as they heard yelling from the living room "I'm not being either of those sorry excuses for Italians, Hawkass"
"Ouch, you bitch" Clint yelled
"Hey" Steve shouted and they heard fighting began
Bruce walked into the living room and chuckled
Steve had Clint face down, holding Clint's arm away from his body, the other Avengers were playing Mario Kart
Pepper and Salt were discussing something while Jasmine and Grant were looking at Steve and Clint amused
"Say you're sorry" Steve growled at Clint.
Clint replied was muffled so Steve let him up a little "I'm sorry" Clint muttered
Artemis shrugged "Steve, he didn't mean nothing by it" she said "besides I've been called worse"
Steve let Clint up and set beside Natasha "so what's so bad about this game"
"It can turn violent real fast" Jasmine said "The trio can't play it unsupervised, weapons gets thrown"
Steve glanced at them "really" Bruce asked and they pointed to Artemis
"She gets pissed at Mario and Luigi" Tony explained
Grammy came out with drinks for everyone and set down after passing the drinks out
Artemis groaned sitting in her lab a few days later, video chatting with Tony, who's back in Malibu
"So you want to make something for our suits that comes when called like Thor's hammer" Artemis asked and Tony nodded.
Artemis frowned, ever since the Battle of New York Tony has been holed up in his own lab.
Come to think of it the other Avengers have scattered, Steve's in DC getting acquaint with the world, Natasha's on assignment, Clint disappeared to get his head on straight and Thor is still in Asgard.
After Artemis promised to come to Malibu so they could work on the ideas soon, she hung up and walked out of her lab and towards the kitchen
She frowned seeing someone eating the chocolate lasagna she hid "Ace, what are you doing here" she asked pouring some scotch.
Ward looked at her "needed to get out of the house" he shrugged "Mom's pissed off for some reason"
Artemis nodded "a pissed off Mine, is never good. How the hell did you find that?"
Ward smirked at that "I'm a SHIELD agent" Artemis raised an eyebrow, most SHIELD agents don't have common sense "plus, I grew up around you"
Artemis chuckled and poured him a glass as well. She then frowned "Ace, what do you think of Winter Soldier"
Ward shrugged "I never had to face him or had a mission that deals with him, why" he stated
Artemis shrugged "just wondering" she said taking a drink of her alcohol.
Ward frowned at her before going back to his lasagna
Happy late Thanksgiving, and next chapter should be the start of Iron Man 3 and I'll try to have the next chapter of Captain America's cousin up soon.